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Playing spin bowling

someblokedave

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
Josh, if your in all sorts whenever the average off spinner comes on to bowl, then i'm afraid its time you gave up on cricket.
Yeah that's a bit harsh, the bloke might be young, give him some time and he might find his game against the spinners? For all we know the blokes a bowler and bats right down the order - I for one can't bat for my life but I can bowl a bit and I'm a very enthusiastic fielder.
 

Jakester1288

International Regular
Yeah that's a bit harsh, the bloke might be young, give him some time and he might find his game against the spinners? For all we know the blokes a bowler and bats right down the order - I for one can't bat for my life but I can bowl a bit and I'm a very enthusiastic fielder.
Bowl a bit!?!? You have an amazing average, and a good outlook and understanding of spin bowling, from what I've read.
 

Dan

Hall of Fame Member
When I'm batting against the spinners (where I'm really comfortable), I prefer to go right back and let the ball turn. Being a leftie, I always seem to have the Leg Spinners (or Slow Left Arm Orthodox) turning it into me and that caters for my pull shot. When I go forward I tend not to wait for it as much and end up hitting it early, but when I get it right I can cover drive plenty for 4. Its just a confidence thing and working out how to read the ball.
 

someblokedave

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
When I'm batting against the spinners (where I'm really comfortable), I prefer to go right back and let the ball turn. Being a leftie, I always seem to have the Leg Spinners (or Slow Left Arm Orthodox) turning it into me and that caters for my pull shot. When I go forward I tend not to wait for it as much and end up hitting it early, but when I get it right I can cover drive plenty for 4. Its just a confidence thing and working out how to read the ball.
Yeah I think as a Leftie you have a slight advantage against R/H Leg Break bowlers. It's quite rare at all levels to come across a R/H wrist spinner that turns it both ways. As a right hander you're always working on your Stock Ball (Leg Break) and being cautious when practicing your Wrong Uns because of the fear of developing the Googly Syndrome. As a consequence I reckon 95% of the time you'll find even the better Wrist Spinners will have a dramatically weaker Wrong Un which is the ball they'd love to have working 100% against you Lefties. I always have a problem against Lefties especially if they're half decent, if it wasn't for Lefties I'd have good bowling figures!

So what ball from a Right Hand wrist spinner does cause you problems? I've just been discussing this on another forum where I made this comment....

Which brings me nicely to something I've been thinking about tonight - bowling against Lefties. I was watching some video footage of a series from last year NZ v Eng and Strauss and Cook were both batting (Lefties) facing the Medium-fast bowling of Southee. The bloke commentating mentioned that Southees attack line was perfect, he was bowling over the wicket at and around the off-stump with the threat of the ball coming in on the stumps off the seam. Looking at it - it struck me that this might be the way that I should approach my bowling at Lefties?

The only question is why is that preferable to bowling around the wicket, surely if I'm bowling diagonally across the wicket, there's a temptation to bat across the line into his Legside with less fielders and if I'm still bowling my leg breaks (Wrong Uns for him) he's then batting with the spin?

What's your thoughts - what do you reckon the RH Wrist spinner should do?
 

chyickenkeev

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
as a left arm finger spinner i can say, use the around the wicket and over the wicket as a weapon more than your stock. i do listen to shane warne, he ses if you force the batsman to open himself out, he is more likely to make a mistake because youv upset his rhythm.

i generaly go for left arm around the wicket which is on the left hand side as the bowler looks at it, and drift it into him.

then il go around the wicket (the right side and leave gaps on mid wicket so i can get him caught behind.

to lefties i revers it and put gaps at cover to make the batsman play against the spin and have him bowled or lbw.

and as a batsman, the best way to conter this is to step to the ball realy real realy late so you know if its spun and how much it has spun then just drive it and nab a quick single.

or sweep him if he pitches it on leg

or reverse sweep him if im tight for runs

or charge him down if i need quick runs.
 

someblokedave

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
Chicken - you and me are the only people on this forum - what's that all about? I reckon we should focus on one thread title and get anyone and everyone that wants to talk about bowling and batting againts spin to submit all their questions in one place? Or maybe you could set up a Off-spinners thread and I'll do the wrist spinners?
 

vic_orthdox

Global Moderator
The only question is why is that preferable to bowling around the wicket, surely if I'm bowling diagonally across the wicket, there's a temptation to bat across the line into his Legside with less fielders and if I'm still bowling my leg breaks (Wrong Uns for him) he's then batting with the spin?
I'd argue that, if you are getting good purchase, you should have five spinners on the leg side anyway. Encourage the left hander to play against the spin through the off-side; still be prepared to be driven through cover. Not many blokes are able to do that unless it's a pure half volley or full toss.
 

someblokedave

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
I'd argue that, if you are getting good purchase, you should have five spinners on the leg side anyway. Encourage the left hander to play against the spin through the off-side; still be prepared to be driven through cover. Not many blokes are able to do that unless it's a pure half volley or full toss.
So - I'm bowling (RH) over the wicket into his offside turning the ball away from the bat or into the stumps?
 

someblokedave

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
You are bowling right arm over to a left hand batsman, bowling mainly your stock delivery which turns back into the left hander.
Yeah that's the approach I should have tried using before, but becuase I'm relatively new to the game I'm still not confident enough to set my own field (Might do it next season) and the captain set an off-side field basically restricting me to bowling wrong uns, which I think I explained earlier are nowhere near as good as my Leg Breaks. I think on the day as I recall lacking the experience which I can now see was fatal - I was pitching the ball on his Middle and Leg and he was just going for 4's everytime (backward of Sq Leg) what with there being no-one out there.

Yeah this sounds good, I don't think I'd have thought about emphasising the field on his legside but yeah it does seem to make sense. Where would you have the fielders on the off-side - I'm assuming I'd be looking to force a top edge if he'd batting across the line?
 

vic_orthdox

Global Moderator
I'd keep it relatively simple.

Slip; backward point, a straight-ish cover, mid-off. If the pitch is slow, then take the slip out and bring him into a cover-point, as the likelihood of an edge will decrease.
 

Dan

Hall of Fame Member
Yeah I think as a Leftie you have a slight advantage against R/H Leg Break bowlers. It's quite rare at all levels to come across a R/H wrist spinner that turns it both ways. As a right hander you're always working on your Stock Ball (Leg Break) and being cautious when practicing your Wrong Uns because of the fear of developing the Googly Syndrome. As a consequence I reckon 95% of the time you'll find even the better Wrist Spinners will have a dramatically weaker Wrong Un which is the ball they'd love to have working 100% against you Lefties. I always have a problem against Lefties especially if they're half decent, if it wasn't for Lefties I'd have good bowling figures!

So what ball from a Right Hand wrist spinner does cause you problems? I've just been discussing this on another forum where I made this comment....

Which brings me nicely to something I've been thinking about tonight - bowling against Lefties. I was watching some video footage of a series from last year NZ v Eng and Strauss and Cook were both batting (Lefties) facing the Medium-fast bowling of Southee. The bloke commentating mentioned that Southees attack line was perfect, he was bowling over the wicket at and around the off-stump with the threat of the ball coming in on the stumps off the seam. Looking at it - it struck me that this might be the way that I should approach my bowling at Lefties?

The only question is why is that preferable to bowling around the wicket, surely if I'm bowling diagonally across the wicket, there's a temptation to bat across the line into his Legside with less fielders and if I'm still bowling my leg breaks (Wrong Uns for him) he's then batting with the spin?

What's your thoughts - what do you reckon the RH Wrist spinner should do?
If you were trying to get me out, it'd be a simple case of flighting it up from over the wicket to just outside off. I'd probably go for a big drive and either nick it to slip or onto the stumps depending on how much spin you got. I find that when a Wrist Spinner goes around the wicket to me it allows me to be better prepared for the spin back into me - the ball is angling in that way already - so I can get forward comfortably enough and clip through midwicket or square leg. If the ball's angling across me I'd be more likely to play against the spin.

I think junior bowlers tend to have a misconception that it works better to bowl from around the wicket to lefties. It may be true with pace bowlers (to an extent), but if a wrist spinner is turning it, over the wicket could be more effective. Its all angles.
 

someblokedave

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
Yeah - see I'm getting conflicting advice on this from all quarters. On another forum the blokes over there are saying the opposite.
 

chyickenkeev

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
any spinnr should know wat to in every situation whether the batsman is left or right handed, so a simple idea is, look up off spin on the internet, look at the line they bowl and apply to left handers.

simple.

i had the smae problem wen i went chinaman for a while,(im left handed)

good cricketers can always learn and apply all their knoledge to their aspect of cricket even if your bowling/batting is unique,

e.g, as a pinner, i know how spinners work wen im batting. etc
 
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